Wood block flooring



Sept. 8, E L. BRUCE JR 2,054,015

WOOD BLOCK FLOORING Filed June 1 4, 1954 2 She'ets-Sheet 1 Sept. 8, 1936. E. BRUCE, JR 2,054,015

WOOD BLOCK FLOORING Filed June 14, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES WOOD BLOCK FLOORING Edwin L. Bruce, Jr., Memphis, Tenn., assigner to E. L. Bruce Company, Memphis, Tenn., a vcorporation of Delaware Application June 14, 1934, Serial N0. 730,663

9 Claims. (Cl. 20-8)) My invention relates to wood block flooring or the like and has particularly in view a type of construction that will facilitate nailing of the blocks to the subiioor and at the same time, the wood blocks will be so securely fastened in place, that there will be practically no relative movement between the blocks to cause any squeaking as the floor is walked upon. In nailing tongue and groove iiooring to a subiloor, the practice is to blind nail the flooring to the subfloor through the tongue side. One of the objects of my invention is to so position the blocks in the floor panel that they can be readily nailed in place through the tongue sides of the blocks.

l5l Referring to the drawings for a more complete disclosure of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a partly constructed floor panel, showing a square lay-cut;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a diagonal lay- 3@ out;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the wood blocks in a characteristic lay-out;

g5 Fig. 5 is an end view of a block looking at it in the direction of the arrows 5-5 in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a side View `of the same block looking at it inthe direction oi the arrows 5-Ii in Fig. 4.

The preferred type of blocks to be used are sa those disclosed in the patent to Fetz, No. 1,843,024, dated January 26, 1932 and designated therein as right hand and left hand blocks. These blocks are madefiom flooring strips I, provided with hollow backs It, and having tongues 2 along one longitudinal edge of each strip and a complemental groove 3 along the other longitudinal edge, the strips being held in assembled relationship by means of a metal spline d in a groove 5 on the underside of the block, all as more fully described in the patent to Allen, No. 1,808,623, granted June Along two adjacent sides of the block are the integral wood tongues 6 and 'I for engagement respectively with the complemental grooves 8 and Q in the adjacent blocks, when assembled to form a oor panel.

To determine whether a block is a right hand or a left hand block, the observer should place it with the groove B running longitudinally of the grain of the strips toward him. IICf the tongue E, which is transversely of the grain of the strips, is on the left hand side, it is a left hand block and if it is on the right hand side, it is a right hand block.

In laying the licor, I start preferably in one corner of the room and lay the blocks from the two' adjacent walls outwardly to the other adjacent walls, so that the two adjacent tongues on every block will always be on the free edge or laying side, thus permitting of blind nailing through each tongue side of the block. I

Referring to Fig. l, I I and I2 are the two adjacent walls of the room. A working line I3 and another working line I4 are stretched parallel to the walls of the room II and I2 respectively, and 10 the rst row of blocks on each side of the room are laid alongthese working lines. Provision maybe made for an expansion space I5, to take care of any expansion of the oor panel from moisture absorption. 15

The corner block I 6 is rst properly located with reference to the working lines and is placed so that the grooved sides 8 and Q are along the wall sides of the room, thus placing the tongue sides B and 'I on thel free edge lor laying side of the 20r iloor panel. The corner block I6 is face nailed at I'I and I8 along the wall sides and is blind nailed at l Il through the tongue sides and into the subfloor 20.

When the corner block I 6 is a right hand block, 25 the blocks 2l and 22 will be left hand blocks and so on alternately until the floor iscompleted. The block 2l will be face nailed at 23, and blind nailed at Ita on the two outer tongue sides of the block. The block 22 will be similarly face nailed at 23h and blind nailed at i917. The only blocks that will be face nailed are those along the wall line.' All the rest of the blocks will be blind nailed only through the outer adjacent tongue sides of each 101001:. Accordingly, if. will be noted that 35 along every junction line of the blocks in the 'finished panel, there is a tongue side that is securely nailed to the suboor. Since the groove side of every block engages a nailed down tongue side,

except along the wall side, there will be a mini- 40 mum amount of relative movement between the blocks, as they are walked upon, thus diminishing any tendency to squeak. l

In Fig. 2, which shows a diagonal layout, the same general principles are followed as with the 45 square layout of Fig. 1. In the corner of the room are laid the triangular blocks 33 and 24, properly spacedirom the sidewalls II and I2 and along the working lines I3 and III. lIhese triangular blocks may be made by sawing in halves 50 diagonally, a square right or left block. The block 33 will be face nailed at A2% and blind nailed at 26 through the single tongue side thereon. The block 24 will be face nailedfat 2'I and blind nailed at 28 through the tongue sidel thereon 55 which engages with the complementa] groove side on the block 33 and also blind nailed at 29 through the other tongue side thereon. It will be noted that the triangular blocks along the wall line Il have only one tongue but those along the wall I2 have two tongues, both on the free edge or -laying `side of the oor.

It will be noted that in the floor panel, whether in a square or diagonal layout, that the blocks are of the same type, either all rights or lefts,

with reference to a line passing diagonally of the blocks.

4The shoe 30 nailed to the wall will cover up the expansion space' I5 and also the face nails that secure the blocks adjacent the walls.

It the blocks should have metal tongues instead of wooden tongues, then the metal tongues would be provided with properly.located openings through which the nails could be driven.

In the drawings, reference letter R indicates right-hand blocks` and L indicates left-hand blocks.

I claim:

1. The method of laying a wood block panel with blocks that are provided with tongues on two adjacent sides and grooves on two adjacent sides, some of the blocks being right handed and some left handed, comprising laying the blocks "from the wall of a room with the grain of the wood in adjacent blocks at right angles, positioning the blocks of successive rows in the panel so that the tongue sides are on the free side and blind nailing the blocks through all the tongues to the subfloor.

2. The method of laying a wood block panell with blocks that are provided with tongues on two adjacent sides and grooves on two adjacent sides, some of the blocks being right handed and some left handed, comprising laying the blocks from the wall of a room with the grain of the wood in adjacent blocks at right angles, positioning the blocks of successive rows in the panel so that the tongue sides are on the free side and blind nailing the blocks through all the tongues to the' subfloor, the blocks in the panel being of the same type, with reference to a line passing diagonally of the blocks.

3. The method of laying a wood block panel with square blocks formed :trom a plurality of strips, the blocks being provided with tongues on two adjacent sides and grooves on two adjacent sides, some of the blocks being right handed and some left handed, comprising laying the right and left hand blocks alternately from the wall of a room so that a tongue on one block engages a groove on only one adjacent block, positioning the blocks of successive rows'in the panel so that the tongues are at all times on the free side and the strips in adjacent blocks when viewed lengthwise are at right angles to each other and blind nailing the blocks through all the tongue sides to the subfloor.

4. The method of laying a wood block panel, the blocks being provided with tongues on two adjacent sides and grooves on two adjacent sides, some of the blocks being right handed and some left handed, comprising laying alternately the right and left hand blocks with the grain of the wood in adjacent blocks at right angles, positioning the blocks of successive rows in the panel so that the tongues are at all times on the free side'and blind nailing the blocks through all the tongue sides to the suboor.

5. A iioor panel made of square blocks formed from a plurality of strips, the blocks being provided with tongues on two adjacent sides and grooves on two adjacent sides, a tongue on one block intertting only with the groove on a single adjacent block, the blocks being laid in an alternate arrangement of lefts and rights, the strips in adjacent blocks when viewed lengthwise being at right angles to each other, fastening devices passing through the tongue sides into the'subfloor, whereby the floor panel is secured to the subfloor at each junction line of the blocks.

6. A floor panel made of wood blocks that are provided with tongues on two adjacent sides and grooves on two adjacent sides, some ci the blocks being right handed and some left handed and laid alternately, the grain of the wood in adjacent blocks being at right angles, the tongues on one block engaging the grooves on the adjacent block, blind nails passing through each of the tongue sides into the subfloor, whereby the oor panel is secured to the subiioor at each junction line of the blocks.

7. A floor panel made of wood blocks that are provided with tongues on two adjacent sides and grooves on two adjacent sides, some oi the blocks being right handed and some left handed and laid alternately, the grain of the wood in adjacent blocks being at right angles, the tongues on one block engaging -the grooves on the adjacent block, blind nails passing through each of the tongue sides into the subfloor, whereby the iloor panel is secured to the subfloor at each junction line of the blocks, the blocks in the panel being ot the same type, with reference to aline passing diagonally of the blocks.

8. A oor panel made of square blocks that are provided with two tongues on adjacent sidesV and two grooves on adjacent sides, some of the blocks being right handed and some left handed, the blocks being laid in an alternate arrangement of rights and lefts in which the right handed block is interlocked on its four sides with only left handed blocks and the left handed block is interlocked on its four sides with only right handed blocks, the blocks being blind nailed through the tongue sides to the suboor.

9. A oor panel made ot rectangular blocks that are provided with two tongues on adjacent sides and two grooves 0n adjacent sides, some of the blocks being right handed and some left handed, the blocks being laid in an alternate arrangement of rights and lefts, in which each right handed block is interlocked on its four sides with left handed blocks and each left handed block is interlocked on its four sides with left handed blocks, each block being blind nailed through both of its tongue'sides to the suboor.

EDWIN L. BRUCE, JR. 

